


Give It a Shot

by cybirdpunk



Category: Heart of the Woods (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Pre-Canon, commission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 22:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18353015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cybirdpunk/pseuds/cybirdpunk
Summary: A prequel story about Maddie and Tara's VERY awkward first date. (Commissioned piece)





	Give It a Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Alice for the commission! This one was as fun to write as it was extremely embarrassing.

It all started when Penny told me she’d started dating Luna. The last two single girls from our group, paired off like everyone else. Everyone except Tara and me, of course. And that was the problem. She and I have always been closer to each other than anyone else, so...if everyone else is pairing up…

It’s probably dumb to even be thinking about this, right? Just because we’re adults now, that doesn’t mean we have to date or anything. But I mean...we do already spend all our time together. We love hanging out, and we love being around each other. If we love all that…

“Hey, Mads?” 

Oh, shit. I almost forgot she’s here right now. Trying to leave my thoughts behind, I leave the kitchen to join her on the couch. I know she wants to say something, but for some reason it’s hard to look at her right now. Ugh, what’s wrong with me?

“What’s up?” I ask, barely managing to keep my voice even. Or at least I thought I did, but Tara’s raised eyebrow tells me otherwise.

“You really wanted to see that Hanna movie, right?”

“Film.”

“Right, sorry. That Film movie.”

I sigh, refusing to take the bait. I don’t mind how easily she can push my buttons, but it’d be really nice if she actually had buttons I could push in return. At least she knows me well enough to know when enough’s enough. Rather than being annoying, it’s actually kind of fun. Just like she always is.

“I did want to see it, yeah. Is it playing near here or something?”

“Yeah, it’s opening this weekend. You wanna go?”

“Have I ever said no to a theater trip?”

Tara grins and points at me, forming finger guns with both hands. She’s been doing that a lot lately, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s some kind of catch….gesture? Is that a thing? I will admit, it’s a bit endearing. I’ve thought about telling her that, but that would be weird to say, right? Then again...maybe weird wouldn’t be so bad right now. It’d certainly match how I’m feeling. And deep down, part of me knows the only way to get rid of this feeling is to say something to her. Anything. It just has to be honest.

“It’s a date, then.”

My breath catches in my throat. Why did she have to use that word? Why now, when I’ve got all this weird stuff in my head? She doesn’t normally call it that. What if she said it on purpose? What if she meant it that way? And more importantly, if she did, what should I say? Do I want her to mean it that way? Oh god, she’s looking at me. I’ve gotta say something. I don’t know what to say, though. Should I just say something random? That’s better than nothing, right? Right.

“A date, huh?”

Oh shit. Oh no. That’s not right at all. 

“Wait, hang on. Mads, are you, like…” Her voice is quiet and curious, but not angry. Not the worst case scenario at least, but...definitely not the best. Why the hell did I say that?

“Are you asking me out?”

“Uh...well...I mean…” I look away, my face heating up. Way to go, Maddie. Great poker face. “Not if you’re not cool with it. Like, I’m happy to go to the movies the way we always do if you want.”

Tara doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure what she’s thinking, mostly because I refuse to look at her. It’s better this way. Even when she finally responds, I keep my head down.

“I mean...I think, like...I could maybe see myself being cool with it. The date thing, I mean.” I hear her swallow before she continues. “I just, uh...didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I didn’t either.” What the hell was that? Stupid, stupid, stupid. The best way to confess is to tell her you don’t know why you’re confessing, apparently. “I just think that maybe...with everyone else getting together...I mean, I’ve always thought you’re really great, and...I don’t know, I just thought that…”

I flinch as I feel her hand on my shoulder. I want to look up at her, but I still can’t.

“I get it, Mads. For real. And, like...I don’t have a problem with that, I think? Like, I don’t know how it’ll work out, but...I’d be willing to try.”

I finally manage to look up at her, expecting a grimace. But instead, I’m met with an awkward smile. Was I right? Did she want this too? Did I actually not mess up as bad as I thought for once?

“So, uh...Saturday?” I mumble. “For the, uh. The date.”

“Yeah! Yeah. Saturday works. Cool.” she stammers. Our faces are a bit too close together. For a second, I get the urge to kiss her. But I’m not ready for that. Not by a long shot.

But maybe...maybe I will be ready for it eventually.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I get to the theater early, like I always do. But this time, rather than heading inside, I take a moment to check my outfit. It’s nothing really special, just a new cardigan and a knee-length skirt, but...if it’s a date, I should make sure it looks good, right? It’s probably not that big a deal, honestly. I doubt she dressed up or anything. It’s just gonna be a normal trip to the movies, basically. It’s just that we’re calling it something else now. Right?

“Hey, Mads!”

I whirl around so quickly I get a bit dizzy, looking for her voice. She waves to me as she jogs toward the theater, and as she gets closer I realize that she really did dress up. That new jacket of hers, a blouse I’ve never seen before, and jeans that actually don’t have any holes in them. She looks...well, she looks cute. I forgot that I’m allowed to think that now for a second.

“Dang, Mads. You look super pretty.”

I really hope my makeup covers the fact that I’m blushing. How can she just say things like that? Or wait, is that how we’re supposed to say things now? Should I say that too?

“Th-thanks, Tara. You look really...nice.”

I cringe as she chuckles and rubs the back of her neck. At least one upside of going on a date with her is that she knows how nervous I get during stuff like this. I wonder if she’s nervous at all. Probably not.

“Should we, like, go in?” she asks, motioning towards the entrance. I give a brief nod and follow her in. handing over our tickets and making our way to the theater. So far, so good. It isn’t until we enter the dark room that I start to panic. Something about this darkness feels different. More intimate. My mind is filled with moments form some of my favorite films where people went on film dates, and...a lot happened in that darkness. And that means a lot could happen here. But that doesn’t mean anything is guaranteed to happen, of course. I can’t let myself get psyched out.

We make our way to our seats and get comfortable. Nervousness aside, I’ve been looking forward to this film for a while. No matter what happens here, at least I’ll get a good viewing out of it. And when the trailers start to roll, I feel my anxiety melting away. At the very least, I’m in my element. Casting a glimpse over at Tara, I can tell she’s also a bit more relaxed. Even if she’s not as much of a film buff as I am, she always really enjoys watching them with me. It’s sweet of her. Very sweet, actually.

Once the main event starts, the purpose of this trip disappears into the background. I’m absolutely captivated by the film; its minimalistic style, its soundtrack, and just about every performance all combine to form an experience I know I won’t forget for a long time. In fact, I’m so captivated that it takes me a second to notice that Tara just put her hand on mine. My first instinct is to jerk it away, but I don’t. Instead, I turn my hand over and curl my fingers upward, letting her slide her fingers between them. Her palm is warm and soft as she squeezes my hand ever so slightly. I’m suddenly painfully aware of how sweaty my hand is.

“Is this okay?” Tara whispers, taking care to make sure her voice doesn’t overlap with the dialogue on screen. She sounds like she’s talking about something much more intimate than hand holding, but...this is intimate for us, isn’t it? Anything that pushes past those long-sacred bonds of platonic friendship we’d held for so long carries a weight that wouldn’t be present with anyone else. I’m still not sure how I feel about that.

“Yeah.” I whisper back, giving her hand a squeeze in return. For now, this is enough. I don’t need to know everything about how I feel yet. We’ve got time.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The rest of the film is amazing. By the time it’s done, both Tara and I are staring completely enraptured at the screen as the credits roll. We let out a deep exhale in near unison before slowly letting go of each other’s hands, taking care not to look each other in the eye as we make our way out of the theater. Now, standing awkwardly on the sidewalk in front of the theater, we try to figure out what comes next.

“Should we maybe...get dinner?” Tara offers, gesturing vaguely towards the center of town. “Dante’s is probably still open if you wanna grab pizza or a sub or something.”

My stomach grumbles in response. I’ve been so busy being nervous that I didn’t even notice how hungry I am. And the idea of just having a meal with Tara does put me at ease; the comfort of a familiar routine makes this date feel a bit more like a normal night. It’s okay to think of it that way, right? It being a date doesn’t mean we can’t have the same amount of fun we always have. It’s fine.

“Sure, I’m down.”

Tara grins and shoots me the finger guns again. She’s definitely trying to make that a thing, although I’ve got no clue why. She’s memorable enough without having to do anything special. In fact, that’s one of my favorite things about her. No matter what she does, she manages to make an impression. We might as well be polar opposites in that regard, but I mean...they do say opposites attract, don’t they?

“Alright then, let’s rock.”

I give another small nod, and we start walking. We talk about the film along the way, Tara balancing my comments on technique with her own musings on how “badass” everything was. As we go back and forth, she takes my hand again. It’s a lot easier to handle this time, and I manage to keep up the conversation with only a few moments of stammering here and there. Looking at her now, I’m much more acutely aware of how attractive she is. It’s a strange, brash, and kind of messy attractive, but...it’s definitely there. It’s not like I didn’t think she was attractive before, of course; even as friends, I noticed her good looks. But thinking about it now feels more concrete. More meaningful. And judging by the way she’s looking at me...I think she might be feeling the same way. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking, but it’s definitely a look I’ve never seen before. A strange softness behind her eyes and smile that’s both more subdued and more genuine. I want her to look at me like that more. I even come close to saying something to that effect when we arrive at the restaurant, but my stomach rumbling again pulls me out of the moment. Food first. Feelings talk later. Probably.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought I was hungry before, but as soon as I take a bite of my sub I realize that I was practically famished. Judging by how Tara wolfs through her pizza, it seems like she was too. First date jitters must burn a lot of calories. We keep talking in between mouthfuls, which means constantly reminding Tara not to talk with her mouth full. She’s really back to her old self, laughing at her own jokes in a way that never fails to make me laugh along. I swear, as crude as she can be, I really think she’d make a great comedian. Although I doubt many comedy clubs would be interested in a cryptid-themed set. All jokes of hers end up leading back to them, her constant pattern shining through. I always play the skeptic to her true believer, but the truth is that I love how passionate she gets about stuff like that. As much as I love films, I’ve never had a passion that could come anywhere close to hers. It’s something really special, and something I hope I’ll always be able to be around. No matter what happens with this whole dating thing, I know nothing’s gonna drive us far enough apart that we can’t enjoy nights like this together.

At the counter, Tara insists I put my wallet away. “It’s a date, Mads. I’m paying for you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally. Gotta make sure it counts, right?”

“R-right.”

She’s really taking this seriously, much more than I thought she would. Maybe she really did want this before I asked her. That’d certainly make me feel a lot better about dropping the idea on her. The whole thing still does seem a bit surreal, but everybody who goes on a date with their best friend probably feels that way. Or at least I hope they do.

Finished paying, Tara turns back to me. “So, um...is there anything else you wanted to do tonight? Or should we head back to your place?” As soon as she asks the question, her eyes widen and her hand flies to her mouth. “I mean, like...not like head back to your place in like, that way, y’know. Like, just cuz your place is closer, so I feel like I could drop you there before I head home, and...y’know?”

“Y-yeah. Of course. I know what you meant.” I stutter, feeling my cheeks start to burn. The last thing I need right now is to think about anything...intimate. If my hormones start running wild, this night is going to end up even more awkward.

“Okay, cool. Yeah. Cool. So, like...let’s get going?” Her voice rises with the last word, as if she’s asking a question. I just nod in response. Home sounds good right about now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, uh...here we are.”

“Yeah. Here we are.”

We’re standing in front of the entrance to my dorm, both looking down at the ground. How do we say goodnight? Just the way we always do? It’s a date, so I feel like I should do something more, but I have no clue what. I’m still a lot newer to dating than she is. Maybe she knows what to do? Judging by the looks of her, I highly doubt it. She shuffles back and forth, scratching the back of her neck and chuckling awkwardly. Oh god, it’s cute. It’s way too cute.

I don’t think about it. That’s the only way it can happen. I just take a step forward, lift up her chin to meet her eyes, and press my lips against hers. The soft feel of her lips on mine makes my heart stop. I can’t tell if it’s fear or joy. I don’t care. For once, I want to commit to this. And as I feel her arms encircle me, I can tell she does too. What was just supposed to be a peck on the lips turns into something deeper as she pulls me close. I press harder against her, my arms around her back as her lips part slightly. For a split second, I think about pushing my tongue into her mouth, but I think better of it. We just kiss deeply instead, stopping and starting a few times to make sure we don’t lose our breath. It’s...really good. It almost feels wrong to admit it, but I think it’s the best kiss I’ve ever had. My stopped heart is pounding now, and it doesn’t stop even when we pull away. It keeps jackhammering as we both step back, our faces bright red. I feel the urge to look away, but I suppress it. I stare at her, and she stares at me. I’m not sure how much time passes before I finally work up the nerve to speak.

“Um...thanks. I had a really good time tonight.”

“Y-yeah! Me t-too. For sure.” Tara lets out another awkward yet endearing laugh. She’s definitely at as much of a loss for what to do next as I am.

For a second, my guard drops. Those hormonal images I’d been suppressing come back in force as I look at her. Watching her breathing hard, red in the face...what if I…

No. Not yet. I can’t do it yet. Instead, I just offer an awkward wave. “Um...goodnight.” I murmur, taking a step back towards the door.

“Yeah.” she says softly, looking away slightly. “Night, Mads.”

She doesn’t move. Neither do I.

Fuck it.

“Hey, Tara?”

“Y-yeah?”

I swallow nervously. Fuck it. I can regret it later.

“Do you...want to come in?”


End file.
